1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical imaging apparatus, such as a fundus camera, to be used for a group examination, at an ophthalmologist's office, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, fundus imaging using a fundus camera has been widely used for screening by a group examination, and a diagnosis of an ophthalmological disease. In recent years, a method for recording a fundus image as digital data has been widely used. Imaged data is recorded in portable type recording media or built-in hard disk drives in personal computers (PCs).
The fundus imaging using a fundus camera is known in that a large number of images are taken in a short time. More particularly, in a group examination for screening, a large number of subjects should be taken. Thus, sometimes, a health examination on that day may be terminated due to an operator's carelessness without photographing a part of subjects.
When omission of photographing of subjects occurs in a group examination, it is necessary to request the subjects to come to a health examination site or a health examination facility again. When omission of photographing of subjects occurs in an ophthalmologist's office, it is necessary to apply mydriatics or to intravenously administer fluorescence agents to the subjects. However, a reexamination may be a large physical and mental burden.
Accordingly, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-115925 discusses an ophthalmologic imaging apparatus that can detect, at a stage of completion of a health examination on that day, omission of photographing of a subject by comparing a list of predetermined subjects to be captured and that of captured subjects.
However, it is insufficient that subjects to be captured have been imaged only without omission of photographing of a subject. That is, it is important not only whether subjects are imaged, but which contents of fundus are imaged. An appropriate diagnosis is made by a physician on each captured fundus image. However, in order to make this appropriate diagnosis, it is necessary to take an appropriate number of images of an appropriate part of each subject at an appropriate timing according to a diagnosis object.
For example, fundus imaging in a group examination aims mainly at screening of diabetes, glaucoma, and the like. In the fundus imaging aiming at the screening, it is necessary to image both of left and right eyes of each subject, because it is impossible to know which of the right and left eyes of each subject is diseased. Accordingly, in group examinations, it is often obligated to take one image for each of the right and left eyes of each subject without fail.
However, a conventional fundus imaging apparatus has no means for transmitting, to operators, information indicating which of the right and left eyes of each subject is captured, and how many images of the eye is captured. Therefore, the conventional fundus imaging apparatus has a problem in that no operators know which of the right and left eyes of each subject is captured, and how many images of the eye is captured.
On the other hand, in fundus imaging in an ophthalmologist's office, sometimes, in order to make a diagnosis on a diseased part in more detail, fluorescence photographing is performed by intravenously administering a fluorescence agent to a subject, in addition to color imaging of a fundus. In this fluorescence photographing, it is extremely important for making a diagnosis to image a fundus at a timing at which the fluorescence agent reaches the diseased part. Thus, in an ophthalmologist's office, a photographing timing and the number of images of a fundus to be taken at each fluorescence photographing are determined in advance.
However, the conventional fundus image-taking apparatus has no means for informing operators of information indicating the imaging timing and the number of images of a fundus at each fluorescence photographing. Accordingly, the conventional fundus imaging apparatus has a problem in that operators cannot know the imaging timing in which certain seconds have elapsed since a fluorescence agent is intravenously administered to a subject, and how many images of a fundus of the subject's eye should be imaged at the timing.
Thus, when the conventional fundus imaging apparatus is used, an operator does not know how to take the fundus image. Consequently, sometimes, operators forget to take fundus images needed for a diagnosis of a disease.